[PRP] Are you my mother? [Izinhliziyo/Funanya]

[Painted Moose]

Izinhliziyo's fat tail thumped along the well worn path he'd made walking circles around a dirty ol' boulder. Normally he'd be tuckered out with the rest of his siblings and be the first to knock out during nap time, but he couldn't seem to wind down. The cub's body was slumped over onto the stone, bobbing and weaving with each groove he passed. It just didn't make sense.

When your father's a lion and your mom's a leopard, your a leopon, right? He'd seen them because Abrafo had pointed them out from the den. Big fuzzy things with fat tails and fluffy manes. And where did the spots come in? Two of his brothers and his sister had spots, but neither of his parents did.

Izin sighed dramatically. Just what was up!

 

[[X]Natty-Chan[X]]

Funanya walked around the 'nursery', checking to see if the cubs were taking their naps... but she seemed to be missing one. Frowning a bit, she looked around for the missing cub. It didn't take her long to spot him walking around a boulder. Tilting her head, she padded softly to him.

"Izin... what are you still doing up?" She asked him as she stepped up to him. She sat down, wrapping her tail around her paws, "you're usually asleep with your other siblings."  

[Painted Moose]

Izinhliziyo came to a slow halt as he rolled his bright eyes lazily up at his nanny. His mouth was twisted in a grimace. "Can't sleep, " he said simply. The cub sauntered over beside her and flopped down with his head on his paws. "I've been thinking. Why do Rynskald, Kamau and Uzoma have spots? Mommy doesn't have them and neither does daddy."  

[[X]Natty-Chan[X]]

The spotted lioness giggled softly at the cub's answer. "I guess that's a reasonable answer." She replied, lying down after he did so beside her. With that, she started to groom his head gently, but stopped at his question. Funanya tried her best to answer Izin's inquiry. She didn't like to pry into the other members of the pride's business or affairs unless it involved her, she just made sure to watch over the cubs that may result from them. "Hmm? Well, who's to say? Perhaps one of your grandparents have spots and they skipped into your siblings."  

[Painted Moose]

If he could have, Izin would have purred under her care. He leaned his head up closer to her and when she stopped, he lolled his head around. "I dunno. Have you seen my grandma? She's black and eeevvviiiiiilllll." The cub did his best demon impersonation, complete with a snarl. Then something caught his eye. "You have spots!"  

[[X]Natty-Chan[X]]

After finishing grooming the top of his head, she pulled him closer with her paw to work on the rest of his body as he spoke of his grandmother. At the cub's demonic impersonation, she giggled, pulling away from him to reply. "Now, I don't believe I met your grandmother, but I'm sure you don't truly mean that?" She was going to return to cleaning his fur when he brought up her own spots. The lioness took a brief moment to eye her own markings, as if making sure, before returning her gaze back to him. "Yes, I do."  

[Painted Moose]

After a bit of struggling, Izinhliziyo calmed under her menstrations and quickly came to love it. He placed his forepaws on her leg excitedly and shook his head. "No, she really is! She tried to eat me." The cub blurted out with wide eyes. How much more evil could you get?!

He looked at her spots in a mix of rapture and curiosity before looking back into her eyes. "Momma doesn't have spots. Dad doesn't have spots. Nan doesn't have spots, but Kamau does. Are you....-" He tilted his head. "Are you my mother?"  

[[X]Natty-Chan[X]]

Funanya didn't let his struggling stop her from grooming, giggling softly as he rested his forepaws on her foreleg. When he told her that his grandmother tried to eat him, she frowned. "My, that's dreadful." She reassured before nudging him over to groom at his stomach. After a bit of time, she finally finished and 'released' him.

Soon, she sat up and gave her own paws a lick, but paused and blinked a bit when the cub looked into her eyes. She listened intently as he listed all the family members of his that didn't have spots, until reaching Kamau. She tilted her head when he seemed to come to some sort of revalation. But, at his question, her eyes widened a bit. "Oh... my dear. No... I'm not your mother."  

[Painted Moose]

"But you have to be!" Izinhliziyo blurted out. He rose up on his forelegs, his eyes searching for an answer in hers. "Your a lady, and you have spots, so you have to be my mom." But then...that would make Nia his...fake mom. Why would she lie? Lying is very, very bad, so why would she...?

The little cub pouted, pining his ears back as she flopped onto his bottom. "Mommy wouldn't lie, though...but I don't..."  

[[X]Natty-Chan[X]]

Her eyes widened a bit and her ears perked when the young cub blurted out. When he did this, she gave him a small 'shh' command. "You will wake the others." She told him, as he rose to his forelegs. At his deduction, she frowned a bit and lowered her head to nuzzle the top of his. "I know it may seem like I'm your mother, because what you said is true... but, I have not had any cubs... so how can this be true?"

Seeing him so upset broke her heart as she let out a rumbling purr and continued to nuzzle the top of his head. "I am sure your mother isn't lying. Just sometimes, some cubs don't always get the traits from their parents or even grandparents. It is odd, I know, but it happens."